Cigarette package



April 2, 1963 J. R. ROBERTS CIGARETTE PACKAGE Filed 001;. 4, 1960 John R Roberts INVENTOR United States Patent s,0ss,s20 CIGARETTE PACKAGE John Rahal-ts, 9&6 Dixie Highway, Lonisviiie, Ky. Filed Get. 4, 1960, Ser. No. 6%,4-19 ll Qlaim. (C1, 265-41) The present invention generally relates to an improved and novel package and more particularly to such a package for receiving cigarettes.

In present day practice, cigarettes are packed in a package so that when the package is opened, all of the cigarettes are exposed to the air. Currently, there are two sizes of cigarettes available, that is regular and king size. The cigarettes are either plain, provided with a filter, mentholated or otherwise constructed to satisfy the desires of particular groups of purchasers. Quite often, a person does not have sufficient time to completely smoke a present day cigarette since the person may not be able to devote sufiicient time to completely consume the cigarette. This results in considerable wastage of the cigarette. Additionally, smokers desire one type of cigarette at one time and another type of cigarette at another time and it also occurs that individual smokers in a family or the like desire different types of cigarettes, for example, plain and mentholated. When a full size package of cigarettes are opened, the air immediately adversely affects the cigarettes and further, there is no selectivity in the conventional cigarette package as to the type of cigarette obtainable therefrom.

In view of the problems existent in present day cigarette packages, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a cigarette package which includes two separate and distinct packages wrapped in a single wrapper and provided with a tear strip for separating the packages with one of the packages containing one type of cigarette and the other of the packages containing another type of cigarette with the cigarettes being smaller than conventional regular or king size cigarettes so that the two packages combined will occupy the space normally occupied by a package of king size cigarettes thereby enabling the combination package to be dispensed from conventional dispensers for this type of goods.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cigarette package incorporating dimensions equivalent to dimensions of present day cigarette packages but also incorporating two separate packages each of which is provided with a plurality of relatively small cigarettes with each of the small packages including a flip top box having a pivotal end at both the top and the bottom.

Another important feature of the present invention is to provide a cigarette package which is simple in construction, easy to use, effective for providing different types of cigarettes and generally inexpensive to manufacture and maintain.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the cigarette package of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of one of the packages which form the cigarette package of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspectively view of the cigarette package of FiGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 4-4 of FIGURE 3 illustrating the structural details of the cigarette package and the structure extending upwardly therefrom.

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Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral It) generally designates the cigarette package of the present invention which includes in its construction two one half packages generally designated by the numeral 12. The one half packages 12 are separate packages in themselves and are secured together in superimposed aligned relation by a transparent cover 14 of cellophane, transparent plastic or any suitable material. The ends of the cover 14 are closed by folded portions 16 and the central area of the cover 14 is provided with a tear strip 18 disposed thereunder having a tear tab 2% projecting outwardly whereby pull on the tab 20 will remove the tear strip 18 thus severing the one half packages 12 from each other.

Each of the one half packages 12 includes an open ended peripheral wall member 22 having an open lower end 24 and an open upper end 26 with the transverse cross-sectional area thereof generally being rectangular.

Slidable in the wall 22 is a carrier generally designated by the numeral 23 which includes a back wall 30, a bottom 32 and a top 34. Centrally of the rear wall there is provided a pair of forwardly extending side members 36 having the forward ends thereof interconnected by a front member 38. The top 34 is provided with a depending front flange 40 while the bottom 32 is provided with a similar upstanding flange 42. The end edges of the top 34 are provided with end flanges 44 and the end edges of the bottom 32 are provided with similar end flanges 46 both of which engage with the respective edges of the side members 36. The rear member 30 is provided with hinge axes formed coincidental with the upper and lower edges of the side members 36 respectively for pivoting the top or bottom of the carrier 28 to a position for access to one of a plurality of cigarettes 48 disposed therein.

in using the present invention, the cigarette package it is the same shape and size as the conventional cigarette package. However, the one half packages 12 contain cigarettes of a size smaller than regular cigarettes and are received within the carrier 28 which is slidable within the peripheral wall 22. After the one half packages 12 have been separated from each other by opening the package 10, the cigarettes 48 therein may be readily consumed by forcing the carrier 28 from either end of the sleeve or wall 22 so that either the flip top top or the flip top bottom may be swung to an out-of-the-way position in order to enable access to the cigarettes.

With this construction, cigarettes may be obtained even when the hands are wet without actually touching the cigarettes by hand and, of course, the one half carton construction enables a smaller package to be opened and also enables two diiferent types of cigarettes to be supported in the same manner in this package. Two different types of cigarettes in the small package are thus orientated in a single package. The particular construction of the cigarette package itself is variable and the advertising indicia to be employed on the package It or on the one half package is variable.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A cigarette package comprising a pair of one half packages arranged in side by side relation with the side edges thereof abutting, said one half packages forming an aggregate package of a size equal to the size of a conventional cigarette package for formation by using conventional cigarette packaging machinery, a transparent cover ing peripherally thereof and located in alignment with the juncture between the abutting side edges of the one half packages whereby removal of the tear strips will separate the package into two one half packages with each having a transparent cover enclosing all except one side edge thereof, each one half package including an elongated backing member including a central part and end parts hingedly connected thereto along a transverse fold line, forwardly extending side members attached to the central part of the backing member, a transverse front member attached to the forward ends of the side members and enclosing a plurality of cigarettes disposed between the side members and between the backing member and front member, a top and bottom assembly connected with the pivotal end parts of the backing member, each assembly inclnding side members and a partial front member, the end edges of the side members, partial front 4* member and backing member being connected by an end member for engaging the ends of the cigarettes thereby securely retaining the cigarettes in the one half package but enabling access to either end thereof, a sleeve slidable over the one half package and forming a closure for the open areas of the front of the one half package, said backing member, side members, front member and top and bottom-assemblies forming a carrier for the cigarettes for movement longitudinally from either end of the sleeve.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,825,158 Petersen Sept. 29, 1931 2,132,144 Blum Oct. 4, 1938 2,502,635 Swartz Apr. 4, 1950 2,929,542 OGorman Mar. 22, 1960 2,984,340 Carmichael May 16, 196 1 FOREIGN PATENTS 358,560 Great Britain Oct. 9, 1931 

